Managing CAD files on a local server can be very challenging due to the existing links between files:
🔍 Complex searches: difficult to find or reuse previous designs easily.
🧩 Limited traceability: tracking revisions through file names breaks CAD links and prevents proper version control.
👥 Complex collaboration: multiple users cannot easily work on the same CAD file simultaneously.
📄 Unclear part status: it’s not always clear whether a part is in draft, approved, or obsolete.
🔒 Restricted conversion: exporting to a neutral format (STEP) isn’t possible without a CAD licence.
⚙️ Uncontrolled impact: impossible to identify where a component is used before modifying or replacing it.
🚀 With Aletiq PDM, you gain traceability, simplify collaboration and save time.
Interface overview
In Aletiq, a CAD file is called a part, which in the case of SolidWorks software for example can be :
Parts Aletiq | SolidWorks | Catia | Inventor | Creo |
an assembly | .sldasm | .CATProduct | .iam | .asm |
a component | .sldprt | .CATPart | .ipt | .prt |
a drawing | .slddrw | .CATDrawing | .idw | .drw |
🧭 Access parts: click Files → Parts in the top menu.
📋 You’ll then see all available parts.
🔎 You can switch views, filter, or search for a part.
📂 Part details: from the table, open the Details panel to view all its properties.
Manage BOMs and use cases
⚙️ Aletiq automatically rebuilds the part Bill of Materials (CadBOM) and file links by reading the CAD Bill of Materials (CAD Files) directly from the CAD files.
📂 CAD Files = CAD files
📘 CadBOM = Part Bill of Materials (links between parts in Aletiq)
👉 The CadBOM may be incomplete if some CAD files haven’t been uploaded to Aletiq.
👉 You can ignore environment components that aren’t part of the actual Bill of Materials.
Manage parts evolutions
Each part in Aletiq has multiple revisions, visible 👁️ separately in the Details panel:
🔢 Revision index (version name)
📝 Description of the changes
🚦 Status: draft, approved, or obsolete
You can update a part without duplicating files in the database.
Dependencies between revisions:
✅ An approved revision of an assembly or drawing contains only approved components.
👨💻 A draft revision uses the latest revisions of its components.
Access to parts for teams without licenses
All Aletiq users can view parts, even without a CAD licence.
➡️ Click 👁️ View in the parts table.
The viewer tool allows you to:
🔹 Show / hide components in an assembly
💥 Explode the view to understand the assembly structure
🎯 Change perspective: front, side, etc.
📤 Users can export parts to the STEP format themselves to share them with their partners, clients, or suppliers.
